[IC] The Devil's Arithmetic

[Neon Knight]

[The Nether Realm - Evil Academy]

The black vault of the sky extends endlessly above, the gloomy firmament showing no stars or planets glittering in the void. Still, there is light, something like the sort that one gets on a cloudy day, and it falls on the tall, Gothic spires and steeples of the cathedral-like school of sin that sprawls below the dark sky of the Nether Realm. The atmosphere is something like Halloween or Walpurgis night; white fog is thick in the air and on the ground, and there is a general air of mischief and spooky things about. Light flickers from behind the ornate glass of the ironwrought windows, giving the grounds an eerie glow in the dimmed illumination of the Nether Realm. Here and there, demons and monsters of all sorts, shapes, and sizes go about their business. The scene is bustling and chaotic, filled with numerous outbursts, chases, and fights. The honor students of this academy are hoodlums and delinquents of the worst sort, and the evidence of numerous pranks and wrongdoings litters the area. From the classic juvenile pranks of school children to elaborate, almost Rube Goldberg-esque schemes of trickery, the whole gamut of of petty evildoing is here on display. It is the last week of school before winter break, and many students are hoping to impress their peers and teachers with displays of strength, cunning, and villainy. Many students hope to never come back after winter break, although few will actually achieve this. It is difficult to escape the clutches of this evil school.

One student, however, is planning one returning from winter break no matter what. It is this student who is of interest to our tale, and who we will now meet.

"Fiammetta!" The call sounds throughout the narrow halls of Evil Academy. Locker doors rattle on their hinges as an intangible presence pushes through the corridors, shoving aside lesser demons like a bully wading through the chess club. Classroom doors fling open as a great hand seizes them, unseen eyes scouring the mostly abandoned interiors. Blast it, I'm not too late, am I? What if I am? What if she's already gone to class? The invisible mind just couldn't bear it if it actually happened, if someone actually had perfect attendance for a semester at this school. But it seemed as if it had come to pass. The girl was supposed to be in study hall, but she wasn't in any of the classrooms. Unless... of course! She must have created a secret passage! All it would take is one to blow to reveal it! There was a crackle of energy as the headmaster focused his nigh cosmic power...

"Headmaster? Were you looking for me?"

...

Or she was right behind him,, having just returned from the library. With a dejected sigh, he released the channeled energy. He never got to have fun anymore. He turned, assuming his common tangible form of a tall, balding man in a black and white striped suit, similar to an old time prisoner's outfit. The sallow, corpse white skin of the body was loose and wrinkled. It wasn't his true form, of course, which he hadn't worn in many decades.

The girl before him was neat and proper, looking up at the taller headmaster with a neutral, placid expression. It took Betelgeuse a moment to realize that she was wearing the school uniform; a knee length navy skirt and blazer, white blouse, white knee socks, a pair of polished black mary jane's, and a solid color red tie. It was intended to feel so generic that any self-respecting demon would reject such a bland garments immediately and defy the dress code, but this girl had worn it since day one. Her black colored tail peeped out from underneath the skirt, and a pair of black horns curled out from her head from just behind and above her ears, ending just above the crown of her head. Her red hair was pulled back into a bun, without a single strand out of place. Betelgeuse knew she had wings, but used magic to conceal them rather than making an unauthorized alteration to her uniform. What annoyed him most was the glasses. They were unfashionable, with large, rounded lenses, bereft of smudges, even on the frame. There were the first pair the optometrist had given her, and she had never said a word of complaint.

"Err... yes, Fiammetta. I need you to take care of an errand for me. Will you find Mr. Pazuzu and ask him if he could return the book he borrowed from me?" Fiammetta nodded dutifully. "Yes, sir. I have class in 35 minutes, sir."

"Oh, that's alright, dear. I'm sure this won't take you very long. Mr. Pazuzu is in his office, just down the hall from your classroom."

"Yes, sir."

As Fiammetta walked away, Betelgeuse covered his mouth with a white hand and snickered. It was the most obvious trap in the world, with a paper thin cover story, but it didn't matter. She never questioned, or talked back. She just did as she was told. Truly, evil would win, because good was dumb.

[Elsewhere]

Suddenly, all across campus, the Evilcom crackled. "Attention, students! This is Betelgeuse, your headmaster. It has come to my attention that the Overlord's Daughter is about to achieve a record of perfect attendance for her math class. The demon who prevents her from being on time will be greatly rewarded! She was last seen approaching Mr. Pazuzu's office."

An ominous rumbling filled the halls, as numerous demons rushed to fulfill the headmaster's bounty.

Spoiler

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Howdy! Glad to see you here. Your first post should establish your character as being somewhere in the school, give them a bit of description, and should have them moving to respond to the situation. Once everyone has checked in, the festivities will commence in full strength!

[IcemanJRC]

[The Courtyard]

Gabriel sat quietly, his books spread about him and a homework assignment in his lap. He scrawled on his paper and poured over his books,
Ugh... I can't believe I'm stuck here taking The Unabridged History of Evil Throughout Mortal Existence... But if I must, then I shall.
He continued reading, his report on Torture in the Spanish Inquisition was due in an hour and he only had four of the ten pages done. He quietly worked as rambunctious demons brawled and chatted and made mischief around him. His mind was focused on this assignment, it didn't matter that nobody did the homework, it didn't matter that he'd probably get an F because he actually wrote it, he couldn't ignore it. This was a learning expedition.
Heaven above this is gruesome...
He whispered as he flipped through a four page excerpt on the Pear of Anguish, complete with photos and color commentary.

Suddenly, all across campus, the Evilcom crackled. "Attention, students! This is Betelgeuse, your headmaster. It has come to my attention that the Overlord's Daughter is about to achieve a record of perfect attendance for her math class. The demon who prevents her from being on time will be greatly rewarded! She was last seen approaching Mr. Pazuzu's office."

Gabriel's eyes widened,
Fiammetta! Oh Lord!
He stood, his books and papers falling off his lap, and panicked.
I'M COMING FIAMMETTA!
Gabriel shouted, no particular reason, heroic timing maybe? He shot off towards Mr. Pazuzu's office, his face set with determination. He'd get there, nobody was going to catch her, his mission wouldn't allow it. More importantly though, his heart wouldn't allow it.

[AmberVael]

[Hallway]

"Well, if you want to put some flames in, you gotta make it stand out. You see flames everywhere, you know? Because they're cool, and everyone knows it. Why not have a sun in its talons? Same kind of theme, but a bit more original. No one seems to use sun imagery around here." Natalie lounges against a wall, a bag of candy in one hand, which she is steadily eating through. Three other students are with her, two of which are just hanging around, trying to sponge off of her popularity, while the third is busily making a very interesting mural of a crow. It looks like an astonishingly productive act on Natalie's part (even considering that she's just directing other students and watching), but then, given that she is commissioning this mural right on top of the school's main notice board...

The crow with a sun in its claws looks pretty cool though. She obviously chose the right person for the job.

"Attention students!" Cries Betelgeuse from the loudspeaker, and Natalie flicks her eyes up to the intercom. One of her hangers-on snickers and starts to say something loudly to block out the message, but Natalie elbows him in the stomach, and he takes the hint. They listen in on the message, and a smirk plays across Natalie's face.

What an old idiot. Thinks the demoness, before she speaks out loud to her fellows. "Reward sounds good." She observes. "If we split up, we're more likely to find her. Trying to stop her before or after Pazuzu's office probably won't work, so we'll cut off the halls that lead there. You take the east-" She points to one of the two, then to the other as she continues. "You the west. I'll get the center. One of us will get her that way."

"Beleth, if you'll stay here and work on the mural, I'll make sure it's worth your while." She adds, before racing off down the center hallway.

As the rumors have it, Natalie is incredibly lucky. They also say that she knows everything that happens within the school. One or the other of these seems to be in play, because Natalie is taking the swiftest route possible to Fiammetta, abandoning her legs in favor of her wings, which take her up to the ceiling and over anything (and anyone) in her way.

[Orosboru]

"Now, you were saying..."
"No! Please, my mistress. Not that, never that! Kill me! Maim me!"
"Since you won't talk, have this!"
"No- Heh. Ha. Ha! HA! HAHAHAHA-"

The fluffy feather claimed another victim.

It was such a pain, getting lunch tokens. Oh, they wouldn't respond to the axe. They barely gave it a glance. Since she couldn't actually kill anyone (unfortunately), they saw a bluff where they could see one. A feather was unexpected. Who knew, that inflicting so little pain could give so much reward. Who knew, that in several certain places that it was painful to-

But some were more resistant. The only thing that worked on them was the soft, fluffy, pillow. It was evil. Well, not fire and brimstone evil. Evil in a little way. Evil that she could get away with. Sneaky, underhanded evil. The kind of evil that she disliked. Hated, even.

Oh, for the days you could fight to the death...

"Attention, students!" The evilcom went on. It was lunchtime, and if she chased after the girl, she might get a good reward. However, she would miss out on her meal. (Tickling students to death took a lot of calories. The axe? not so much.) But what the hell. She fought better hungry anyway. Lifting up a massive axe adorned with a skull of giant, its empty sockets blazing with fire, she leapt up a impressive height onto the school grounds and walked. It didn't matter how soon she got there. If she destroyed the classroom, she'd be late. Right?

[Greystone]

Hall of Mirrors

Elysia was on the prowl. She was in her near human form, as she almost always was nowadays. In her early days she would tempt the weak willed mortals in her full glory, wings and tail and all. Now she preferred to keep a lower profile. Her tight pantsuit, black in color and opened tantilizingly at the top. She adjusted her stylish red-tinted sunglasses and smirked, showing a little fang.

"Razeles" she barked with her best 'boss' voice, causing the young demon to jump and twitch his tail nervously.

"Yes Mrs. E?"

"Do you have a hall pass?" she inquired with a growing leer.

Razeles, a first year demon, gulped and shook his head. Elysia shook her head in mock sympathy before holding out her hand. Fire suddenly shot up, causing the student to jump back.

Before she could pronounce his punishment, the Headmaster gave his announcement. Elysia raised one elegant eyebrow at his words, before turning and hurrying towards hallway she figured Fiametta would take. Razeles gave a sigh of relief before he realized the fire had remained where Elysia had just been standing. If crackled and turned into a snake, before it proceeded to chase him to class, biting at his heels the whole way.

[Ganurath]

Outside Fiammetta's Class

As luck had it, the principal was not the only one who had taken note of Fiammetta's attendance record and found it unpleasant. Marena Nightide had already been camping out outside the entrance to the class with the intention of intercepting her with a sob story of some sort when the announcement came on.

Stupid goody-two-shoes gets all the attention because she follows all the rules even though she's the- Wait... She follows all the rules. With a mischievious grin on her face, Marena slipped into the math class in question and, before the teacher could ask why she was attending the wrong class of all things, pulled the fire alarm.

[Neon Knight]

[Evil Academy - Hall 666]

Fiametta doesn't get very far before everyone starts catching up to her. After all, everyone else runs or flies, while Fia obeys the school's rules and can't move any faster than a walk. However, plans change when Marena yanks the fire alarm.

Natalie, moving swiftly and avoiding all obstacles, is about a third of the way there when the fire alarm goes off. Rin, moving at a slower pace, has barely made any progress towards her destination, and Elysia isn't much further along, being somewhat hampered by milling crowds of demon students looking for Fia. Gabriel is in a similar situation of being hampered by crowds.

Everyone, including Fiametta in her hall, looks up in complete bafflement at the sound of the alarm. Fires were a very common occurrence at the school, but the rarely got reported or even noticed, and someone actually pulling the fire alarm was nearly unheard of. Even a prepared, duteous student like Fiametta took a moment to recover from the surprise. Fia had to peek inside her school agenda to figure out where she was supposed to go, and then changed her course to head out the nearest fire exit.

In his office, Betelgeuse grabbed at his hair and pulled in frustration. Since he was bald, he just grabbed some of his wrinkly skin and tugged that, the corpse white tissue stretching improbably and disgustingly. "Fools! If the alarm is pulled, class is postponed until the emergency is dealt with! She won't be late, and her record will stand."

Fiametta's course has changed. Even better, Marena is now the closest one to her, and possibly one of the only ones who recognizes that Fiametta won't be at Pazuzu's office. This is the perfect opportunity for her. Of course, someone else with quick thinking might reach the same conclusion...

[Orosboru]

That fire alarm got pulled so often that it was a familiar starter to lunch - a lot of demons got bored after their second period class. Unfortunately, it lost its thrill after the first couple of times. Without fail, that girl (ugh) pointlessly went outside and waited for the all-clear. Going after her would be like finding a needle in the haystack, and with all her pursuers, it was going to be tough (they'd use their cunning or something).

Of course, if the girl happened to see her math teacher outside, perhaps she would walk up to him and kindly ask for the book back. Especially if he was hanging from a branch, hogtied. She might even fight her. Oh ho ho!

Rin draws back for a mighty strike, pole vaulting with her axe and jumping through the glass windows, breaking her way through to the math teacher.

[Ganurath]

As Rin went in, Marena went out, in pursuit of Mr. Pazuzu's office. The fire alarm would likely be settled before class started, so all it did was eat up some of Fiametta's free time. That, and guarantee that she didn't get to Mr. Pazuzu's office before her. If she could figure out why she was going there, she'd be in a position to sabotage things.

[AmberVael]

"Well, I guess flames really are everywhere." Comments Natalie, to no one in particular as the fire alarm is pulled. Her swift flight slows as she considers the ramifications.

No typical student would actually follow the 'in case of fire' rules. But then, as her association with Fiametta had amply shown, the overlord's daughter was not a typical student. She'd probably follow the rules to the letter. Of course, Natalie thinks with a grimace, this knowledge would be somewhat more helpful to if she herself knew the rules. What a pain.

Then she perks up as she sees where Fiametta is moving to. Not that she's nearby, but Natalie sees her anyway. How, you ask? Trade secret! Nyah nyah!

Natalie swoops off towards the fire exit.

[IcemanJRC]

[Hallway]

Gabriel sighed,
GAH! GET! OUT! OF! MY! WAY!
He continued pushing through students, this time in the direction he'd came. Stupid fire alarm, now he'd have to wait outside. Though Fiammetta in all likelihood had exited the building as well. At least it'd be easier to maneuver outside.

[Courtyard]
After a couple minutes, Gabriel pushed outside.
Back where I started I guess...
He then started walking around, trying to think where Fiammetta may have ended up.

[Neon Knight]

[Fire Exit]

Fiammetta and Natalie arrived at the fire exit at just about the same time. Fiammetta held the door open, looking back at the other devil. "Oh, hello, Natalie. If you want to talk, we should go outside first."

[Math Classroom]

Fiammetta's math teacher, a tall, red skinned demon with the stench of sulfur about him, snorted as Rin barged into the room. "And what are you doing here, Ravenous Axe Maiden? If you're looking for the Overlord's daughter, you're out of luck."

[Mr. Pazuzu's Office]

Mr. Pazuzu's office appears barricaded; the outside door is wrapped in chains and covered with a heavy iron weight. It looks like Mr. Pazuzu is anticipating the conflict that might arise because of Betelgeuse's little trick, and wants to be left out of it. There are already a couple of demons, covering a range of shapes and sizes, eying the halls in a dangerous manner, clearly on the lookout for Fia.

"Hey, Marena!" A short demon with a small horn projecting from his head swaggers over to her. "Thinking of attacking little miss perfect? We were here first!"

[Courtyard]

With the labyrinthine nature of the grounds, Gabriel may be conveniently lost for quite some time. Maybe 4 days or so. Poor Gabriel.

[Meanwhile...]

Ms. Elysia is also probably somewhere within the school. If she kept heading to Mr. Pazuzu's office, she'll probably be there along with Marena and the other demons by now. If she headed somewhere else... well, she'll probably be there by now.

[Ganurath]

Marena smiled all-too-sweetly as she held up her hands, indicating that she didn't intend to fight them. "I was actually just hoping to speak with Mr. Pazuzu. I know better than to pursue direct conflict with those that consider violence against the Overlord's daughter to be Plan A."

OOC

Spoiler

Show

Going to try to manipulate the other demons into letting Marena pass, which I assume would use Cunning.

Cunning 5 - (1d6)[3]

[AmberVael]

[Fire Exit]

"Oh yes, don't want to get caught in the non-existent fire and get non-existent burns. That would be existentially painful." While her words heavily imply sarcasm, Natalie sounds cheerful enough as she darts through the door, which would mean she'd take the brunt of any trap that might be there... really, Fiammetta should be grateful!

"So, Old Juicy seems to be trying to stir up trouble for you. Why are you going to Mr. Pazuzu's office, anyway? Is it important?" Natalie asks curiously.

[Neon Knight]

[Fire Exit]

Fia doesn't comment on Natalie's remark, but she does smile. "Mr. Betelgeuse wants me to get a book from Mr. Pazuzu and return it to him. I'm not sure why."

___

[Mr. Pazuzu's Office]

The short devil in front of her looks briefly confused, before snorting and stepping aside. "Fiiiine, but you better scram when miss high and mighty shows up."

Marena has bypassed the demons! However, she still has to get past the barricaded door of Mr. Pazuzu's office.

[AmberVael]

[Fire Exit]

"Wait, so he tells you to go do this errand for him, then publicly attempts to sabotage you with it, and you're still going to go get the book for him? Why?" Natalie is flabbergasted. "Are you thinking he'll use it against you if you don't get it?" She asks, considering the possibility. It'd be a fair tactic...

[Neon Knight]

[Fire Exit]

"W-well..." Fia's tail flicked behind her. "I was thinking... my attendance record... it makes Mr. Betelgeuse so angry. I want to attend class and learn things, but... I don't want my ambitions to make people unhappy either. So... I was going to let them stop me, and be late, and maybe Mr. Betelgeuse would be happy, then."

...sacrificing her own ambitions and desires for the happiness of another? For someone who actively opposed her? This girl can't be real.

[Ganurath]

Fort Pazuzu

The barricade was an interesting obstacle, and overcoming physical barriers was never a strong suite for the young noblewoman. She was more prone to subtlety and creative thinking. Therefore, she walked up to the barricade and knocked on it like a door, speaking up loud enough so that those within could hear. "Mr. Pazuzu?"

Spoiler

Show

Not sure if I need to roll anything, but if I do:

Better Lucky Than Good - (1d6)[3]

[Neon Knight]

[Fort Pazuzu]

"Yes? What is it, Marena?" Mr. Pazuzu's thin, reedy voice is muffled slightly by the door and thick barricades, but it is easily audible. "Not relating to that royal brat on her way here, I hope?"

[AmberVael]

[Fire Exit]

"That's quite optimistic of you." Natalie observes, raising an eyebrow. "You think Betelgeuse will be happy? Of course not. He'll find something else to gripe about- and even if you let him win this one time, it's not going to change much. To really make him happy, you'd have to give up your education, and then where would you be? Is it worth giving up your ambitions for his selfishness?"

"Besides," Natalie adds as she touches down on the ground and digs through her bag of candy, "You're important too, aren't you? What makes him deserve happiness more than you? And at your expense, even?" After withdrawing a jawbreaker, she offers the bag to Fiammetta. "Want something? I'm going to get sick if I keep eating all this by myself."

[Ganurath]

Fort Pazuzu

"Only in the form of a hypothetical question. You see, I don't think that the Headmaster would have announced she was going to your office unless he knew she was going to your office. I'm guessing he sent her on an errand." Marena couldn't help but grin, which was fortunate due to the wall between her and the teacher obscuring their view of each other. "I imagine that if a certain blue-blooded freshman were to take care of that errand instead, it would send her on a wild goose chase. And, to your favor, away from your office sooner. Can you imagine what he may have sent her to you for?"

Spoiler

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I do love playing to my strengths.

Cunning 5 - (1d6)[4]

[Neon Knight]

[Fire Exit]

"Does it have to be that way? All his way or all my way? Why can't we compromise?" Fia sighs. "I don't know. I just want things to be fair." Fia does brighten up at the offer or delicious, delicious candy. "Thanks, Natalie." She takes a lollipop from the bag. "For everything, I mean. For listening. You're one of the few people I can really talk to..."

Fort Pazuzu

"Hmmm. An interesting question. I would say my answer hinges on another question. Does this hypothetical blue blood freshman actually have a plan, or will she instead foolishly lose the book to the Overlord's Daughter almost immediately, therefore putting me at jeopardy for having given it to her? As much as I desire to wash my hands of this affair as quickly as possible, I do have my own standing to think about." Conversing with a door is not very... visually interesting.

[Ganurath]

Fort Pazuzu

"The plan is simple enough, hinging primarily on my ability to manipulate a classmate's priorities and exploiting select character traits of the Overlord's daughter that are... Unpopular." Marena's voice takes on a tone that is sufficiently sweet so as to be mocking sweetness itself. "So, not only is the plan a viable option, but it could potentially make her reconsider her current path in life."

[AmberVael]

[Fire Exit]

"You can't compromise 'cause he's a greedy old git who won't stop until he has everything he wants. So don't feel bad, he has it coming!" Natalie replies cheerfully around her jawbreaker. Then, Fiammetta gets all... weird. Nice? Natalie has a hard time narrowing down the right word, but she's swift to notice, and attempts to mimic the tone (though, she reflects, that seems more like a mocking bird thing to do.) "Hey, you're my friend, right? Besides, us cool girls gotta stick together." She adds with a wink.

By this school's standards, Fia was the least cool person ever, but Natalie rather liked it. Even if she was being completely sincere about all this, Fia was rebelling against the norm and doing something completely different, and that was far more interesting than half the posers around here.

[Neon Knight]

Fort Pazuzu

".... very well, Marena, you may have it." Mr. Pazuzu sounds reluctant. "I hope for your sake, and for mine, that your plan works." There is a small popping sound, and something lands in front of Marena.

...oh, this is too good. The book is actually a spiral notebook, covered in glittery stickers of stars and doodles of hearts and other little things. Across the front, written in neat, cursive script, is the title "Fiammetta's Diary."

___

Fire Exit

Fia laughs and winks back. "Yup!" She starts on her lollipop, although after a moment, she looks thoughtful. "You have to wonder, though.... why is Mr. Betelgeuse like that? How did things get like this?"

A better question, Fia, is how did you not get like that?

[AmberVael]

[Fire Exit]

"Get like that?" Natalie repeats, confused. "He's always been like that. Far as I can remember, at least. He's a controlling old goon, and that's just his nature."

Natalie frowns thoughtfully, leaning against the school wall. "And get like what? What do you think things are like?" She crunches her jawbreaker with a very loud sound of grinding and cracking, then grins as she picks out a pixie stick and points it at Fiammetta. "You ask a broad, sweeping question, and I'm going to hold you to it. You say 'things,' so I assume you mean everything in the Nether Realm. What IS it like? Why shouldn't it be like this?"

[Neon Knight]

[Fire Exit]

"The Nether Realm...." Fia pauses for a moment, neatly disposing of the lollipop's stick. "It's a land of darkness and chaos. Here, people only care about getting ahead, about hurting others, about fighting, about being the strongest.... they only care about themselves." Fia sits down, hugging her knees to her chest. "And every demon and devil is told that they have to be like this. That's what I don't get. Nowhere else is like this place. In other places, people get to decide what they're going to be like. And they make many different choices. Why are we so limited? You've seen it to, haven't you? Doesn't everyone dress like you, and try to be like you? They're told that they have to be like that. They don't get a choice. They're never exposed to any alternatives. It's all they know."

"And once they leave here... everyone will start trying to be like my father, and trying to take his place. That's what I don't like. That, and how mean everyone is."

[Ganurath]

The Library of Alexandria Fort Pazuzu

Marena quickly picks up the notebook, stuffing it into her backpack and zipping it up as quickly as she can before she hastens away from Mr. Pazuzu's office. She needed to find someplace quiet to read, someplace where she wouldn't need to worry about the competition popping in on her...

Figuring that only fellows students that wanted to avoid the thirty Xanatos pileup of students trying to sabotage, and thus avoid confrontation in general, would be in areas particularly away from Fiametta's math class or Mr. Pazuzu's office, Marena favored that direction, making a point to avoid fire exits to be on the safe side. Oh, the secrets she could learn...

[AmberVael]

[Fire Exit]

Natalie listens, somewhat perplexed by it all. What on earth had made Fiammetta start thinking about this? And what's more, why on earth did she think she was right? That second part is what really got Natalie.

She was pretty sure she could argue this point and win handily, but she wasn't sure that would actually be such a great idea. What would be useful here? What would be the best way to respond? Hmm...

"I think you kind of answered your own question." Natalie points out. "Everyone is told to be this way. So they tend to end up this way. But you know, not all of them do." Natalie smiles at Fiammetta and sits down next to her. "I've been keeping my eye on the politics around here, you know. I gotta know what I'm getting into when I finally leave, after all. And I don't think everyone wants to be like your father."

"I will admit you're right on one thing though. When I leave here, I want to take your father's place. Just going to flat out admit that to you now- 'cause you're my friend, and I want to be honest. But I want to take his place because I'm not like him. I want to take his place, because if I were in charge? There'd be changes." Fia gets a light punch on the arm. "And you know I'm not mean. I like making people happy."

A happy person is a helpful person, after all. Why blackmail someone when you can get them to do something for you willingly? Much better strategy, in Natalie's mind.

[Neon Knight]

Fort Pazuzu

Oh, look, the competition! Specifically, the people who were already camping the door. They've kind of surrounded poor Marena.

"Hey, what did you just shove in the bag?" The short little runt is speaking again; maybe he's the leader? "Lemme see!"

By the glint in their eyes, things might be heading south for the freshman blue blood....

___

Fire Exit

There was something about that remark that troubled Fiammetta. You could tell by the expression on her face. She started to say something several times, stopping as the words didn't quite shape right in her head. Finally, she seemed about to be able to produce something, when....

"There you are!" There was a loud crack as someone landed on a rock nearby, standing atop it in a dramatic pose. The demon was tall and thin, of pale skin and darkly colored eyes. His clothes were punkish, his style somewhat gothic... but there was something else, too, a swathe of bright neon intensity color amidst the black tones, the stark contrast almost like that of a velvet painting. There was a dance club edge to his gothic styling; as an example, instead of macabre silver jewelry, he wore glowing armbands. In fact, without the horror themed accoutrements and Neo-Victorian flairs, he looked something like a techno ninja, witht eh form fitting black clothes contrasted with bright colors. It was different from the usual fashion of demons, the very style that Natalie herself favored. "I should have guessed you'd be out here. Nevertheless, I've found you at last! And in such surprising company, too. No matter; the time of the reckoning is at hand." He jumped down from the rock to land before them. One had to admit he had the performer's flair and a dancer's grace; there was something attractive about the very way he moved that caught and drew the attention of the eye.